


All the right reasons

by BellaLovesBooks



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gryffindor Draco, M/M, what if harry and draco were friends?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2017-07-07
Packaged: 2018-10-25 00:43:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10753170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BellaLovesBooks/pseuds/BellaLovesBooks
Summary: What if Harry and Draco were friends? Would it have developed into something more?An alternative story line, where Hagrid changed the course of so many lives by explaining to him a little more about Hogwarts and it's houses. Harry has all the right words to say.I see a lot of Slytherin Harry. How about some Gryffindor Draco?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry it's 2:30 in the morning

"Oh, Hello. Hogwarts too?" The boy spoke in a lilting drawl. His tone suggested boredom and a sense of superiority, as if he was simply talking to be polite, or pass the time. Harry didn't really mind; He was used to being talked down on, and besides. Other than Hagrid, he had barely spoken to anyone for... Ages. Too long, really. 

He nodded at the boy, smiling timidly. The boy cocked his head slightly, pale eyes fixed on Harry's. His white hair glinted dully in the warm light of the shop, and Harry thought absently that the boy looked like an ice prince, or a suave spy.

"Any idea of what house you'll be sorted into?" He asked, raising his arms as the seamstress adjusted the soft fabric. Harry remembered talking about all four houses in depth with Hagrid, over and over. They were just some of the many things he was excited about, that made Hogwarts so... Well, magical. 

He hoped to be in Gryffindor, the house of the chivalrous, loyal and brave, but the thought seemed too daft to voice aloud. He shrugged.

"Not really." He said quietly. The boy hummed disdainfully. 

"Can you imagine getting put in Hufflepuff? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" He declared. Harry blinked in surprise. Leave Hogwarts? 

"What's wrong with Hufflepuff?" He asked, curious. It didn't seem so bad. Loyalty and friendship, though he never really had experience in that area, seemed appealing to him. The boy looked slightly put-off, as if he hadn't been expecting to be asked such a question. He shifted uncomfortably on the small podium.

"Well... Because they're the stupid house. You know, just the leftovers. The students who weren't good enough for the others." He explained earnestly, as if it were obvious. 

Harry bit his lip, a spark of irritation and protectiveness flaring at the boys words. He refrained from saying anything; he hadn't really ever had a conversation with someone his age before; Dudley made sure of that. He wasn't going to waste this opportunity just because of the boys opinion.

 

"What house do you want to be sorted into?" He asked, and the boy smirked, an arrogant lilt to his thin lips. 

"Slytherin for sure. My entire family have been Slytherins." He explained proudly. Harry creased his brow in confusion. That seemed a little off to him. 

"So you value ambition? Determination, stubbornness, cunning, all the rest?" He asked, wondering if they were on the same page.The boy looked a little uncertain, as if unsure what Harry's point was, but lifted his chin and puffed his chest all the same.

"That's right." He said airily. Harry pursed his lips.

"But... You'd leave the school if you were sorted into the house you don't like? That doesn't sound like ambition. Or determination." He said, almost apologetically. The boy opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He closed it quickly, frowning slightly as he tried to think how to reply. Harry worried he may have overstepped and offended the boy. He made a move to start apologising, but the boy just laughed. It sounded a little forced, almost like a bark, but it reassured Harry all the same.

"No... I mean... That was a joke. I was joking, of course I wouldn't leave." He scoffed. Harry laughed, relieved that the boy wasn't annoyed. 

"To be honest... I actually know exactly what house I want to be in," Harry confessed suddenly, filled with the need to tell someone. "It just seems... kind of dumb. I don't really fit the description." For the first time, the boy smiled at him. It was small, but it was mischievous and exciting, making Harry feel compelled to tell him everything.

"Which is it?" He asked. Some how, Harry could tell that their conversation had moved past small talk and entered the realms of friendly chit-chat. It scared and excited him at the same time, and he prayed he wouldn't somehow ruin it. 

"Gryffindor." He said, voice low and conspiratorial, as if he was sharing an important secret. In a way he was; He hadn't even told Hagrid what he hoped for.

"Gryffindor!" The boy snorted, nose wrinkling delicately. Harry creased his brow and nodded, confused.

"Yeah. What's so wrong with that?" The boy shrugged, waving a slender hand dismissively.

"It's just, Gryffindor and Slytherin have a rivalry that goes back centuries." He sniffed.

"Oh," said Harry, disappointed. "But... Why?" The boy, again, looked stumped. He thought for a moment before letting out a long huff of breath.  
"I... I actually don't know. It just... happened, I suppose." He said thoughtfully. Harry shrugged. 

"I just like the idea of Gryffindor. Being brave, standing up for yourself and other people too, even if you don't know them. Being chivalrous, doing ridiculous dares just for the fun of it, having and being the kind of friend that would never leave the others side. I guess... Being a Gryffindor means that you'd get noticed, you know? For good reasons, for all the right reasons." Harry said, smiling slightly as he imagined himself in the red and gold house colours. The boy was staring into space, brow creased. He looked a little lost.

"I mean, Slytherin is good too. I don't understand why they'd have a rivalry." Harry said quickly, hoping to get him talking again. The boy looked up, smiling slightly.

"Yeah. Yeah, that does sound nice." He said wistfully. Harry smiled.

"Which part?" He asked. The boy shrugged, fiddling with the cuff of his robe.

"All of it, I guess. Especially... The part about being noticed. For good reasons, for the right reasons." 

Before Harry could reply, the door swung open and a slender, severe looking woman came striding in. Her pale blonde hair and prideful stance indicated that she had to be the boy's mother. She gave the small shop a quick, sweeping glance, her eyes dragging past Harry without noticing him. He realised he was holding his breath.

"Are you done, Draco?" She asked, unsmiling. Draco? Harry supposed that was the boys name. He'd never heard such a name, but he liked the way his lips folded around the letters, how it flowed off his tongue. Draco. The woman who owned the store bustled over and removed the robe, sweeping her wand over it. Harry watched the movement greedily, as the seams sewed themselves and the clothes folded neatly in midair. Draco's mother seemed unimpressed.

"All right." She said, tone indifferent. "One more stop in Knock-turn alley, then we can be on our way." 

"Yes mother." He said, tone blank. Draco's face had smoothed over as soon as she had arrived, closer resembling a marble statue that the soft, animated lines it had been before. He smiled at Harry, but the expression didn't quite meet his eyes. His mother only seemed to notice Harry then. She smiled coldly at him before turing back to Draco. Harry shivered slightly; Her gaze was piercing and judgemental. She made him nervous.

"Come on, now, Draco. Your father is waiting." She said smoothly.

"Bye, Draco." Harry said, regretting that the other had to leave so soon. He would have liked to talk to the boy more. Maybe they could be...? Harry could scarcely dare to even think the word 'friends.'

"Bye... Uh..." Draco said, only just seeming to realise he didn't know Harrys name. He grimaced apologetically, and his mother gave him an odd look.

"Harry," He smiled

"Good bye, Harry. See you on the train." Said Draco, his voice as cold and disinterested as it were when they started talking.

He held the door open for his mother, and gave Harry a wide grin over his shoulder that made him feel giddy. Then door closed quietly behind them, and Harry was alone.

 

He started counting down the days until September first.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I'm unreliable in every sense of the word. Thanks for all the beautiful comments, I'm sorry I didn't reply but you all made my day! I'm definitely continuing this so stay tuned :)

The platform was alive with people, a seething mess of parents, children, trunks and animals. Draco and his parents stood slightly to the side, watching impassively as parents tearfully farewelled their children, and friends gleefully ran to greet each other after a long summer apart. 

It was strange, being there. His parents didn't fuss over him, or ask if he was nervous or even try and reassure him. It just wasn't the way things were in the family, and in this instance he was grateful. His stomach felt as though a thousand nifflers had been released inside and , but he kept his face smooth and expressionless, the way he had been taught. 

He noticed a flash of red hair, then another and another. The Weasley's. He felt rather than saw his father sneer disdainfully, though he never really understood the animosity between his father and the Weasleys. He didn't question it, just went along with it, nodding and agreeing whenever his father was ranting.

He scanned the crowd, hoping to catch one he recognised. He had been introduced to some of his parent's friend's kids, and whilst they were all utter morons they were still, at least, a familiar face. His eyes raked over a flash of green eyes and unruly black hair, sliding past before jumping back suddenly. Harry, the boy in the shop. He looked torn between wonder and fear, standing completely alone in a sea of milling families. 

Draco had thought about him a lot more than he cared to admit the past couple of weeks. Their conversation had been brief and relatively simple, but he just couldn't seem to get it out of his head. Something Harry had said... 

"Mother, Father. I think it's time I board the train now." He said formally, and they looked slightly surprised.  
"All right then. Until next time, son." His father said, awkwardly clapping him on the shoulder. His mother stepped forward and smiled at him, but she looked a little lost. "Good luck, Draco. Study hard and make good choices." She said, and drew him into a hug.  
He was surprised but pleased; Hugs were rare, very rare in his house. She held him for a moment longer, then let him go. She smiled at him, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

He grabbed his trunk in one hand, and his owl's cage in the other. His mother had enchanted them to be light enough for him to carry without trouble, and he was grateful when he saw students struggling with their own. Harry still hadn't moved, staring in wonder at the people, the train, the animals. Draco sauntered over, hoping that he'd remember him. 

"Hey. It's Harry, right?" He asked carelessly, as if he hadn't replayed their interaction in his head a million times. Harry jerked his head around to look at him, wide eyed, before grinning enormously.  
"Hey! Yeah, hey Draco!" He exclaimed, still grinning. Draco was bemused; No one had ever greeted him so enthusiastically.  
"You seem very... Exuberant." He said, but couldn't help but smiling back at him. Harry shrugged.  
"People don't usually remember my name. Or talk to me, really." He shrugged, as though that was completely normal. Draco creased his brow and opened his mouth to talk, but was interrupted by Fred Weasley. Or was it George?

"Hey, Harry." He said, glancing coldly at Draco. The look said it all; Arthur Weasley was as vocal in his dislike for the Malfoy's at home as Lucius was for the Weasley's.  
Harry smiled, first at George (Fred?) then the other twin who appeared behind him.  
"Hey, uh... George?" He greeted, but it sounded more like a question.  
"Fred, actually. But good try." Harry shrugged in apology, then remembered Draco. 

"Oh, uh, this is Draco. We met in Madam Malkins a couple weeks ago. Draco this is Fred and George." Harry seemed almost proud to be introducing them. Draco supposed he didn't get the opportunity very often. The twins gave Draco a terse nod, and he responded in kind. There was an awkward pause as Harry seemed to notice the tension, and another when he tried to figure out what to do about it.

"Do you guys, uh, know each other?" He asked, shifting the weight of his owl's cage from one hip to the other. Draco didn't know what to say; They had never actually met before, but had known of each others families for a long time.  
"Not really. Our fathers work together at the ministry." Said George, breaking the silence. Harry nodded slowly, as if he was still confused.

"Uh… Um… Well…" They were saved from Harry's awkward stammering by the whistle to board the train.  
"Well, we best be off. Lee says he has a giant tarantula he has to show us!" One of the twins said enthusiastically.  
"See you, Harry. Malfoy." They said with a grin, and Draco felt a jolt run through his veins. They had actually said bye to him, too. He had assumed they would just ignore him, but he must have underestimated them. They had even smiled. True, it was at Harry, but still. It felt… Strangely nice to be recognised. Even if it was by the Weasleys. 

"Well, I suppose we should go and find a compartment." He said, turning to Harry. Harry blinked in confusion.  
"Wait… You want to sit with me?" He asked, almost like he didn't believe him. Draco raised a brow.  
"Yes? Of course. Come on, or they'll all be taken." Harry beamed alarmingly at him.  
"Y-yes, we should. Do that, we should do that. Let's go." 

They sat down just as the train groaned and pulled away from the station. Draco wondered if he should try to find Crabbe and Goyle; They were, in some measures, friends, although it was only because of their parents. Honestly, he couldn't stand their company.  
"So…" Started Harry awkwardly. "I couldn't help but notice… Was there some tension between you and Fred and George? I don't know, I might have been imaging it, but it seemed kind of like you guys don't like each other." He seemed hesitant, as if he was worried about offending him. Draco shrugged. 

"Our fathers hate each other. They work at the ministry together, and my father always has to clean up their father's mistakes. Plus, their father loves to fiddle with muggle things; It's not decent." Draco sniffed.  
"Okay… But why don't you like them?" Harry asked earnestly. Draco creased his brow.  
"Well… Um… They're a family of blood traitors. They're dad is crazy, they have more kids than they can afford, plus… I don't know, we just do. My father doesn't like them so I have to not like them too." He said in a rush, and scowled. It seemed stupid when he said it like that. Harry tilted his head slightly.  
"So… You don't like them because they're poor, their father likes looking at muggle things, and your dad doesn't like them?" He sounded honestly confused, not like he was making fun of him. Draco shrugged helplessly.

"Well… Yes. I suppose. Anyway, I haven't been given a valid reason of why I should like them, anyway." He said defensively.  
"You haven't been given a valid reason of why you shouldn't like them, either. I just mean, no offense but you haven't even met them. Just because your dad doesn't like them doesn't mean you have to. Their family is really kind and friendly, they showed me how to get onto the platform and everything. They are one of the first wizards that have actually spoken to me, apart from you and Hagrid." Harry explained earnestly. "I think if you give them a chance you'd really like them."

Draco was silent, pondering what Harry had said. He did make a fair point…  
"I'm sorry if I offended you, I didn't mean… It's just… That's what I honestly think. I'm sorry if I was rude, I'm not that great at talking to people…" Draco smiled at him and waved off his apology.  
"Don't worry about it, Harry. You actually made a really good point." He said, and Harry beamed as if he had given him the greatest compliment in the world. He was a strange boy, Draco thought.

Suddenly their compartment door slid open, revealing a gangly boy with a shock of bright red hair. Speak of the devil. He had to be a Weasley.  
"Do you mind?" He asked. "Everywhere else is full." Harry smiled brightly.  
"Not at all." Ron grinned and glanced at Draco. His face fell, and Draco felt a pang of resentment.  
" There's…. Um, there's room just here." Draco said stonily, gesturing at the empty seat. The boy blinked in surprise.  
"Oh, uh… Thanks." He sat down clumsily, glancing at Draco uncertainly.  
"I'm Ron, by the way. Ron Weasley." Draco swallowed his sneer; unconscious, bad habit.  
"I'm Harry, Harry Potter." Said Harry, and Draco felt his heart drop.

Oh.  
Oh, no.


End file.
